Fear
by xoxoRuflyGirl
Summary: A possession leaves Ciara on the warpath; wanting revenge on Theo and Claire for cheating. Weird things start happening when Hope and Aiden try to spend a romantic night at The Salem Inn on Halloween.
1. Chapter 1

_**Fear**_

 _ **Part 1**_

It was Halloween. Claire usually loved Halloween, but this time around, she couldn't get into it. She was too sad that her aunt who also happened also to be her best friend, hated her guts.

"Claire! You look smoking hot!" Theo said as he saw Claire standing by her locker, waiting for him.

She smiled. "You think so?" She curled a blonde tendril around her finger. "I don't even like the movie _Alice in Wonderland_ , but I figured I might look good as Alice."

Theo grinned. "You totally do!"

You look pretty dapper yourself!" Claire said, playfully nudging him. "Are those fangs glued to your teeth?" She carefully touched one of his fangs

He grinned. "Yes! But there is a solvent that will take them right off once the night's over."

"Remember those horrible cheap plastic teeth you had to bite on that they used to sell?" Claire asked as she grabbed her books from her locker.

Theo laughed. "Yes! I think they still sell those as party favors. I wouldn't be able to wear those today. You couldn't even talk when wearing those!" Theo said.

Claire shut and locked her locker. "I know, right?" They both laughed, and headed off to class.

 _ **~FEAR~**_

After school, Rochelle showed up at the guest house Ciara was living in. "I can't believe I let you talk me in to this. I barely even know you," she said as she came into the guest house, dressed in her usual Goth attire. "The only reason I agreed to this is because I've lost a grandmother so I understand your need to talk to a passed on loved one."

"Thank you," Ciara said. The truth was, she really wanted to ask her father's opinion on what she should do about the Claire and Theo situation. Hope was always concerned about doing the right thing and letting things go. Bo however, had always been more practical. He believed when someone did something to hurt you, they needed to be paid back.

"Where should I set up?" Rochelle asked. "I need somewhere dark."

"We can go into the bathroom. There are no windows in there," Ciara replied.

Rochelle shot her a cynical look. "Really? The bathroom?"

Ciara shrugged. "It's the only place without windows. Besides, it's not a normal bathroom. It's huge! You could do cartwheels on the floor and not bump into anything."

Rochelle rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever."

So, they headed into the bathroom. Rochelle took her backpack off. She sank to the floor, as did Ciara.

Rochelle unzipped her backpack and took out a folded up Ouija board. She unfolded the board on the floor, then took out some candles and placed them around the board at a reasonable distance so they wouldn't accidentally be knocked over.

She then took a cigarette lighter and lit them.

"Let's get to it. It's Halloween, and I have other things I need to be doing," Rochelle grumbled. "Place your hands on the planchette."

"The what?" Ciara asked; confused.

Again, Rochelle rolled her eyes. "The thing that moves."

"Oh! Sorry. Duh!" Ciara placed her hands over the wooden piece, as did Rochelle.

"Oh spirts of the other world, is Bo Brady in your presence?" Rochelle asked.

They waited and nothing happened.

"Yes or no? Is Bo Brady in your presence or spirits of the other world?" Rochelle asked; more firmly this time.

Still, nothing happened.

Ciara rolled her eyes. "This is lame."

Suddenly, the planchette moved rapidly over and up to the "Yes."

"You did that!" Ciara said, whipping her head to look at Rochelle.

Rochelle's eyes were big. "I swear to you I didn't."

Ciara looked back at the board. "Dad?"

The planchette began to move again, only this time slower. First it went to yes, then it started to spell out something.

Ciara and Rochelle read the letters out loud.

"D…O…O…D…L…E…B…U…G."

Rochelle looked confused. "Doodlebug?"

Ciara's eyes grew wide. "That's the nickname my dad used to call me when I was a kid! It's him! It's really my dad!" She had years in her eyes. "I miss you, Dad. So much!"

The planchette spelled out. "I miss you too Doodlebug."

Ciara then began to sob.

Rochelle sighed. "Can you not? Pull yourself together and ask him what you want to ask him before I waste anymore of my All Saints night with you!"

Ciara wiped her eyes. "Dad, Theo cheated on me with Claire. What should I do?"

It took a moment for a response, but one finally came in.

"You must make them pay," the planchette spelled out.

Ciara nodded. "I was hoping you'd say that. "How?"

The planchette spelled out an immediate answer. It took forever to spell out, but the answer finally came. "Lull them into a false sense of security."

Ciara smirked. "And then what?"

The response that came back was chilling. "Then you kill them."

"All right this is clearly not your dad, unless he was a psycho killer and you never told me. We're done." Rochelle said. "Be gone, evil spirits!" Rochelle cried out. She grabbed the board, folded it back up, and put it back in her bag.

Ciara stood up. "Wait! I'm sure he was only joking. He had an odd sense of humor at times."

Rochelle shook her head. "No, no, no. When you get responses like that, you've got to abort the mission right away!" She began to blow out the candles.

"But I wasn't finished talking to my dad!" Ciara stomped her foot. "This is the second time I didn't get to say goodbye to him!" Her eyes welled up with tears.

Neither Rochelle, nor Ciara noticed the dark figure in the mirror that stood right behind Ciara.

Before Rochelle could blow the last candle out, the dark figure slipped into Ciara.

Rochelle stood up and turned the bathroom lights on. "That wasn't your Dad, all right? Dark spirits can be very clever. They have ways of finding out stuff that no one else but the person you're trying to contact would know, then they use it to make you believe they are really who you want them to be. Then they try to get you to do their dirty work since they as spirits can't do it anymore."

She finished packing her things. She stopped on her way out the door. "I promise you Ciara, that wasn't your dad. I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I guess talking to him again just wasn't meant to be," Ciara said without emotion.

Rochelle looked at her with sympathy. "I'm sorry. I really am." She then left the guest house.

Ciara watched her leave, and smirked when the door closed behind Rochelle.

 _ **~Fear~**_

There was a knock on the door.

Claire, who was relaxing on the couch with Theo trying to figure out what they were going to do that night, peered out the peephole. "It's Ciara!" she said, surprised to say the least.

"I hope she's not here to attack us," Theo said, only half joking.

"Don't even joke like that," Claire said. She opened the door. "Ciara! I thought you never wanted to see me again."

Ciara smiled. "Don't be silly! You're my niece. How could I possibly stay angry with you forever? May I come in?"

Claire hesitated. "Uh…Sure."

Ciara came in, and Claire shut the door behind her before exchanging curious looks with Theo.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Ciara said.

" _You're_ sorry? For what? We're the ones who cheated," Theo said.

Ciara nodded. "True, but I shouldn't have poured soda on you in front of everyone."

"Well, we kind of deserved it," Claire said.

"I'm so sorry I called you a bitch, Ciara! I'm also sorry I cheated on you. I should have just told you that I was no longer in love with you, and that I was in love with Claire instead," Theo said.

Claire nodded. "And I should have talked to you first about my feelings for Theo."

"It's all right. I wasn't the best girlfriend and friend to you guys lately anyway. I let my anger at Jonah's bullies consume me. Honestly, I didn't really feel much romantically for you anymore either, Theo. I just didn't want to admit that we were growing part." Ciara said.

"Well, just because we grew apart as boyfriend and girlfriend, it doesn't mean it has to be as friends, right?" Theo asked her.

Ciara smiled. "Of course not!"

"So, we're cool?" Claire asked. "You don't hate me anymore?"

Ciara held out her arms. "What are you talking about, hate you? I could never hate you! You're my niece and my best friend for goodness sake! Come here!" She held her arms out to her.

Claire cried out in happiness, ran to her aunt, and hugged her tightly in return. "Thank you for forgiving me."

"Don't mention it!" Ciara said. She then hugged Theo. "All is forgiven."

"Group hug!" Theo said.

They all grinned and hugged tightly as a group.

Theo and Claire didn't see the wicked smirk on Ciara's face as they hugged, or the evil in her eyes.

 _ **~Fear~**_

"Thank you for inviting us over. Though, after what you said about horror movies, I'm surprised you want to see one," Claire said to Ciara as they arrived at her place. "Cool costume by the way."

Ciara grinned. "Thanks." She was dressed as a beautiful witch. "I decided, it's Halloween, so why not?"

"Are Chase, Joey, and Jonah coming over?" Theo asked.

Ciara shook her head. "No. They are all attending Matt O'Brian's Halloween bash."

"Matt O'Brian is having a Halloween bash?" Claire pouted. "Why weren't we invited?"

"Because he's a jerk! He doesn't like me just because I'm autistic. He thinks I am too child-like and don't know how to have a good time," Theo said. "Though, I don't know why he didn't invite you two."

Ciara had been invited, but she had better plans for tonight. Claire had also been invited, but of course, Ciara had intercepted that invitation upon arriving at her house earlier. Matt was known for his last minute party invites. He felt it was all the more exciting to invite people the night of.

Ciara shrugged. "Who knows? He's a jerk, so who cares?"

"True," Theo agreed.

"I made some snacks for you. The DVD is already in there. Why don't you go ahead and press play? I'll be right there," Ciara said.

"What movie are we watching?" Claire asked.

Ciara smirked. " _Drag Me to Hell_ ". She then went into the kitchen for the snacks.

 _ **~Fear~**_

 __Hope and Aiden were spending the night at the Salem Inn to give Ciara and her friends a little privacy. Of course, they were already making use of the bed. Somehow between choosing what to get for dinner and what horror movie they wanted to watch while eating, they ended up in desperate need of each other. It might have had something to do with the way they were dressed. Their dinner and movie weren't exactly top priority on their lists anymore, and their costumes weren't on their bodies anymore.

"You are so beautiful…" Aiden murmured post-lovemaking as he kissed up her arm. "You make one sexy Morticia Addams!"

She grinned. "And you make a very sexy Gomez Addams." She grinned. "That mustache is so sexy on you! Who would have thought?" She gently rubbed at it with her thumb. "I can't believe it stayed on."

"That spirit gum sticks a little too well. You can't get it off without the solvent," he said.

Hope laughed. "Did you bring the solvent with you?"

"Of course! But if it turns you on so much, I'm in no hurry to take it off." He grinned at her and wriggled his eyebrows.

She grinned too. "I also am a big fan of the way you slicked your hair back. Mm… So incredibly sexy!" she purred, running her fingers through his hair.

"You know what _I'm_ a big fan of?" Aiden murmured positioning himself on top of her.

"Mm, more already?" she asked, gently stroking his hair.

"Please?" He asked, kissing down the side of her neck.

"All right," she agreed. Her eyes grew lust-filled. "But this time, I get to be the one in control." She moved them so that she was now on top of him.

"Ugh… Baby, the things you do to me…" he murmured.

Hope smirked. "You mean, then things I'm _about_ to do to you…" she purred in his ear.

He moaned, and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Their kisses quickly intensified.

However, just as Hope was about to claim what was hers, there was a knock on the door.

"Don't you dare answer that!" Aiden said.

"I'm sorry, it could be important," Hope said. "Who is it?" she then called out.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. I just really wanted to see your room. You see, it was a special room for my husband and I. We spent our wedding night in this room and came back here every anniversary. I'm only in town for tonight. I just wanted to look at the room for old time sake. My husband has passed on, and… I just really wanted to see the one last memory of him I have here," came a voice from the other side of the door.

"I'm sorry but my fiancé and I are trying to make memories of our own in here!" Aiden said.

Hope shot him a look.

"Please? I'll only stay a minute," the woman begged.

"Just give us a moment, please," Hope said.

"Thank you!" the woman replied.

Aiden sighed. "This better be quick," he muttered as he headed to the bathroom to grab a bathrobe.

Hope took his hand, and stopped him. "Trust me. I'll make it more than worth your while." She kissed him passionately.

He moaned, and pulled her in for another kiss. "I'm going to hold you to that…" he murmured before finally heading into the bathroom. Hope quickly slipped her undergarments and a robe on, then opened the door.

Before her stood a lady who looked to be her age. She was wearing a long white dress. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head and her lips were bright red. She was stunningly beautiful.

"Thank you so much for letting me view this room!" She extended her hand to Hope. "I'm Madison Becker."

"I'm Hope Brady, and this is my fiancé Aiden Jennings," Hope said as she motioned to Aiden, who was coming out of the bathroom. "Aiden, this is Madison Becker."

Aiden smiled politely at her. "Hello, Madison. I'm sorry to hear about your husband passing on."

"Thank you. He was such a wonderful man. Our time together was cut too short," Madison said sadly. She looked around the room. "The bedding and the wall paper are different than they were before."

"Do you mind me asking what happened to your husband?" Aiden asked.

Madison looked at him with the saddest expression on her face, then sat down at the end of the bed. "He was murdered. A bad man shot and killed him."

"That's so terrible!" Hope said, a hand over her mouth.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. A murder makes it even worse!" Aiden said.

Madison nodded. "It does… I don't know what I ever saw in him…."

"Saw in who?" Aiden asked; confused.

Madison ignored his question and stood up. "Well, thank you for letting me see this room. I hope you two have a long and happy marriage."

Aiden and Hope both thanked her, then she was gone as quickly as she had come.

"That's awful about her husband being murdered!" Hope said.

Aiden nodded. "I can't even imagine it!" He held Hope tight. "I don't want to think of anything depressing like that. What I do want to think about is what you planned on doing with me before she arrived here."

Hope smirked. "Mm… you never give up, do you?" She undid his robe tie and slipped it off his shoulders. She raised an eyebrow and smirked. He hadn't bothered to put his undergarments back on.

He grinned. "Not when you make me so insatiable…"

Hope moaned.

As they kissed, Aiden made quick work of removing her robe and undergarments, and soon they were back in bed, sharing their love for each other in the most intimate of ways.

 _ **~Fear~**_

Ciara came out with a big tray of cupcakes decorated like pumpkins. "These are really good. I've tried one before. You should really eat more than one. They're _that_ good!"

As she headed into the room from the kitchen, Meredith ran right on front of her, causing her to trip. The cupcakes went flying, and they all smashed face down on the floor.

"Meredith, I could kill you!" Ciara cried out angrily.

"Relax! They're just cupcakes. "Let's order a pizza. If we order form Domino's we can get some of their brownies for dessert," Claire said.

"But I made those special," Ciara said, stomping her foot and shooting Meredith the evil eye. "Let me at least go get your drinks." She headed back into the kitchen then came out with two glasses filled with a blue liquid. "Sorry, Gatorade is all I have for now."

"It's okay. We can order soda with the pizza as well," Theo said.

"Thanks!" Claire said as she took her glass.

"Where's yours?" Theo asked Ciara.

"I only had enough left for two glasses. Sorry. I guess I should have had more snacks here. I can just drink water until we order from Domino's," Ciara said.

"You can have mine. I'll wait. I'm not a big fan of Gatorade, and I'm not really thirsty right now anyway," Theo said. He set his glass down on the coffee stand.

Claire paused the movie, then set her glass down on the coffee table. "I have to go to the bathroom. Why don't you call Domino's while I'm in there?"

Ciara sighed. "Fine. Whatever." She whipped out her smartphone and looked up the number. "Should I get a medium pepperoni and pineapple with breadsticks, brownies, and soda?"

"Yes please!" Theo said.

"Yum!" Claire replied before heading to the bathroom.

As Ciara called Domino's, Theo decided to head into the kitchen. He decided he was thirsty after all, and needed some water.

When he got into the kitchen, he headed for the sink, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw on the counter, the mixing bowl that Ciara had apparently used to make the cupcakes. It was sitting right next to a now empty bottle of bleach. Next to the bleach was an empty bottle of the light blue Gatorade directly next to a bottle of Antifreeze which happened to be the exact color of the remaining Gatorade droplets inside the bottle.

Theo felt his heart sink. _She wouldn't_ … he thought.

He quickly headed back onto the living room, too afraid to call Ciara on it.

Ciara put the phone down. "The pizza and everything is ordered." She studied Theo's worried-looking expression. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"N-N-Nothing," Theo stammered. "I'm going to go to the bathroom too before we start the movie. I'm about to pee my pants!"

Ciara smirked evilly. "You do that."

Theo then took off to find Claire, feeling as if he were fleeing for his life.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Fear**_

 _ **Part 2:**_

"She might have just been cleaning, and just happened to leave the bottle on the counter. She wouldn't really put bleach in our cupcakes!" Claire said to Theo. They had met in the hallway, and Theo had just told her of his findings.

"Well, then why was she so upset when her "special cupcakes"—that she made special for us, mind you—got ruined?" Theo asked.

Claire shrugged. "I'd be mad too if I took my time to make something and they all got dumped on the floor."

"Well why the Antifreeze? It's not even cold enough to snow out yet! And it just happens to be the same color as the Gatorade she gave us? Not to mention she wouldn't drink mine when I offered it to her." Theo shook his head. "You saw how she gets when she's out for revenge. She wanted to burn Becca and AJ's faces for gosh sakes!"

Claire was silent for a moment. "I just don't think she would try to kill us. Burning and killing are two entirely different things."

Again, Theo shook his head. "Not really. Burning can lead to death."

"What are you guys talking about up here?" Ciara said with a playful smile as she entered the hallway.

Theo nearly jumped out of his skin. "Nothing!"

"It didn't look like nothing," Ciara said, her tone a little bit off.

"Theo thinks you're trying to poison us with bleach cupcakes and Gatorade cocktails!" Claire said. She laughed. "That's crazy, right?"

"Claire!" Theo scolded, his eyes wide.

"What?" Ciara laughed. "Come on, Theo! Get real! Like I could ever kill anybody, let alone two of my best friends—one of which happens to be my niece."

"Then what was the bleach and Antifreeze for?" Theo asked.

"I was gathering old bottles for a recycling drive my community service is hosting," Ciara said with a shrug.

"Oh," Theo said, relaxing a bit.

Claire smiled at Theo. "See? There's no plot to kill us."

Ciara rolled her eyes. "I think the spirit of Halloween is messing with his mind."

"Probably," Claire agreed.

"Let's go watch some of the movie while we wait for the pizza to arrive," Ciara said.

Claire and Theo agreed, and they all headed back down stairs.

"What about the Trick or Treaters? Do you have candy for them?" Claire asked Ciara.

Ciara nodded. "I didn't want to be bothered tonight, so I gave my neighbor our bags of candy. Which reminds me…" Ciara went into the drawer, and took out a notepad. She then grabbed a pen and wrote on it, _Please go to the house next door (the first house on the right when facing the house), and you will get not only your candy from that house, but from this house as well._ She then grabbed some tape, and taped the sign on the door before shutting the door.

"That's actually quite genius!" Claire said as they then all sat on the couch together.

Ciara shrugged. "I just couldn't have any visitors interrupting tonight. I need to have you guys all to myself…"

Claire smiled, and side-hugged her aunt on the couch as Ciara used the remote to hit play.

Theo looked at Ciara, not liking the tone she had used, or the odd, mischievous glint in her eyes. He also didn't like the smirk on her face. Something wasn't right…He could feel it.

 _ **~Fear~**_

"Ugh! I could make love to you all morning, noon and night!" Aiden said to Hope as they finished making love. Their most current time had been even more incredible than the last!

Hope gently stroked his face and moaned. "You know darn well neither of us could make love for that long—at least not without breaks in between."

Aiden nodded. "I know, but it is still nice to think about it, isn't it?"

Hope grinned. "It is."

They kissed some more.

Suddenly, there was a loud and consistent knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Hope called out.

The only response was louder pounding on the door. It was becoming more insistent.

Aiden sat upright in bed. "Listen up! Here are your choices. You can either tell us who you are and what you want, leave, or we call security!"

Suddenly the door flew open having been knocked open with tremendous force.

Hope screamed.

Aiden started to get out of bed. He held his hands up. "Rafe… What are you doing? Put the gun down."

Rafe stood in front of them with a gun. He pointed it at Aiden. "You just had to take my wife away from me, didn't you?"

"Your wife? What are you talking about? _You're_ the one who took her away from _me_ , remember? She never wanted anything to do with you until I messed up," Aiden reminded him.

"Lies all lies! She was my wife and you know it! She was with me first then you came along and snatched her away from me!" Rafe yelled.

"Rafe! What are you doing? Are you crazy? Put that gun down right now! Things are over between us! I love Aiden now! Holding a gun to him isn't going to change things!" Hope yelled.

Rafe looked at her. "Wanna make a bet?" he asked with a smirk.

In an instant, he turned his gun on Aiden and shot him in the heart.

Hope screamed.

Aiden gasped, and held his chest. "Hope, I…I love you," he managed to get out before dying.

Hope screamed even louder.

"Let's see you make love with a corpse! So much for spending the rest of your life with him." Rafe burst into maniacal laughter.

Hope looked at Rafe in fear. He had completely gone off his rocker.

Hope narrowed her eyes at him. "I hate you! I hate you so much! I don't know what I ever saw in you! I will never love you anymore! You just killed the love of my life!"

"You know what? After cheating on me, you don't deserve to live either," Rafe said simply.

"Rafe, no. Rafe… Rafe, don't shoot. Rafe, no!" Hope held her hands up.

Rafe shot the gun.

"No!" Aiden screamed and woke up from his nightmare.

"What is it?" Hope asked, running into the room. She had just finished her shower when she heard him screaming.

"I just had the worst nightmare! It was horrible!" he said.

Hope slipped into bed next to him and gently stroked his hair. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"It started off with us making love," Aiden began.

"A nightmare!" Hope gently swat his shoulder. "Thanks a lot!" she teased.

"Not _that_ part!" He pulled her closer and kissed her. "That part was the only good part! Rafe started pounding on the door, then he broke the door down. He had a gun and accused me of stealing his wife—you. I asked him what he meant by wife, and I told him that I was the one you loved first. You told Rafe that holding a gun to us wasn't going to change the fact that you loved me and not him. He said 'Wanna make a bet?' and shot me in the heart. I died. You screamed at him that you hated him; that I was the love of your life and you don't know what you ever saw in him. He then said that after cheating on him, you don't deserve to live either. He shot you dead as well."

Hope shuddered, and rubbed her arms, suddenly so cold. "What a horrible thing to dream." She looked Aiden in the eyes. "What would make you dream something like that?"

Aiden shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe that woman's story had something to do with it."

"Maybe…" Hope still looked uncomfortable.

"You know what we need?" Aiden asked.

Hope smiled at him and cuddled closer to him. "What's that?"

"Some mood music." Aiden leaned over and turned on the radio, turning it to a station that played soft jazz music. He then took Hope into his arms, gently rubbing her arms to warm her up.

"Better?" he asked, smiling at Hope.

Hope grinned. "Mm… Much!"

They began kissing, and Aiden untied her robe. This time she wasn't wearing her undergarments. He began fondling her breasts.

She moaned, and helped him slip off her robe. To the floor it went. Then, she lay down on the bed.

Aiden kissed her passionately.

She took off the pair of shorts he was wearing then kissed down the side of his neck, the back of his head in her hands, her fingers tangled in his hair.

He kissed her breasts, gently sucking them as his hands roamed down her body.

She moaned.

He kissed his way up her stomach, then his lips met with hers, as did his body as they began to make love.

A minute into their lovemaking, the radio suddenly went to static, and a garbled voice kept repeating one word over and over. _Murder… Murder… Murder…_

Hope and Aiden immediately stopped making love.

"What the heck is that?" Hope asked.

Aiden shook his head. "I don't know." He leaned over and clicked the radio off. "It's probably just the radio station, or a radio DJ playing a prank. After all, it's Halloween."

Hope nodded, looking slightly less worried. "True. I'm sure that's all it is. I had forgotten for a moment that it was Halloween."

Aiden went back to making love to Hope then.

It didn't take long at all for Hope's mind to be back on Aiden completely.

However, the lights began to flicker as they made love.

"Ignore it!" Hope ordered, not wanting to stop this time. They were far too into it to let a couple of flickering lights stop them!

"Mm… Didn't plan on it," he murmured.

They continued making love until finally reaching their goal. Then, they held each other in bed, kissing as they came down from their highs.

"Mm… Making love with you is always fantastic!" Aiden said to her.

She rested her forehead against his and grinned. "Back at ya!" She then pouted. "I'm hungry again."

"Salads, breadsticks, and lasagna for dinner with chocolate covered strawberries for dessert from room service?" Aiden asked.

Hope gently stroked his cheek. "Mm… You know me so well!"

Aiden grinned, and they kissed once more before he went to make the call.

 _ **~Fear~**_

Ciara, Claire, and Theo watched their movie and enjoyed their dinner and snacks. Theo was beginning to think that maybe he was just being crazy after all.

When the movie was over, and their stomachs were full, he stood up to leave. "Tonight was really fun, but it's getting late. My dad wants me back at a decent hour. That's the problem with having the mayor as a Dad. He knows the 'dangers of the town of Salem' and doesn't want his son out late at night. I know he's just being a good dad, but it's still annoying." Theo rolled his eyes for emphasis.

Claire stood up. She stretched and yawned. "I should be going too. It's late, and we have a test tomorrow. It's so lame scheduling a test the day after Halloween. Why can't tonight be a Friday or a Saturday?"

"Can't you stay just a little while longer?" Ciara asked.

"Sorry, I can't. My dad will be ticked!" Theo said.

Claire nodded. "Dad wants me home early as well since it's a school night." She hugged her aunt, who only half-heartedly hugged her back. "Bye. See you tomorrow."

Theo hugged Ciara as well. "I'm glad we're back on good terms."

Ciara hugged him back tightly—a little _too_ tightly for Theo's taste. "It's really a shame that Meredith had to ruin those nice bleach cupcakes I made for you," she said into his ear.

Theo instantly jolted back, causing Ciara's grip to loosen a bit. "Excuse me?"

Ciara smirked. "But I really wish you hadn't been so nosy and stumbled upon my Gatorade Antifreeze cocktail. After all, you know what they say about curiosity…. It killed the cat. But in this case, I'll let the cat live. I'd rather kill you and Claire!"

Theo cried out, and instantly pulled away.

Claire, who was standing in the doorway, went pale. "Ciara, you shouldn't joke like that even on Halloween. You know how scared Theo gets!" She opened the door.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Ciara's eyes glowed green. "Who says I'm joking?" she asked in a demon voice, her hand outstretched since it had been her, or rather the demon inside her, who had slammed the door, using her demonic powers.

Theo and Claire looked at each other, fear in their eyes. Then, Claire said one word that sent chills throughout Theo's entire body. "Run."

They then both ran. Theo ran into the kitchen, and Claire ran up the stairs.

Ciara ran after Theo first.

Theo tried to get out the back door, but the demon had sealed that too.

Theo picked up a chair. "I'm sorry Ciara, but I have to do this!" He threw it at her.

She screamed as it hit her in the arm.

He ran past her and out the kitchen door. He then ran up the stairs. He knew that upstairs was the very last place he should go, but seeing as Ciara had sealed all the downstairs exits (or rather the demon had), upstairs was his only option. He had to first find Claire and make sure she was all right, then grab her, and get them out of there even if it meant jumping out a window. The tricky part would be doing it before demon Ciara got to them.

 _ **~Fear~**_

It was late, and after their dinner, dessert, and more dancing, Hope and Aiden had decided to go to bed.

"We're getting old, going to bed this early," Hope joked.

"Or maybe we just like going to bed earlier now that we have each other to go to bed with," Aiden said.

Hope smiled, and gently pushed some hair out of his face. "That just might be," she purred.

They kissed until they got tired, then fell asleep in each other's arms.

They were sleeping for a half hour before the TV suddenly came on.

They both stirred awake.

"Aiden, turn it off. You know I can't sleep with the TV on," Hope sleepily complained.

"I didn't! It went on by itself," Aiden said.

"Yeah, right!" Hope muttered, putting a pillow over her head to muffle the sounds.

"Honest!" Aiden grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, then went tried to get back to sleep.

Ten seconds later, the TV turned back on.

Hope groaned. "Aiden! Stop messing around!"

"For the last time, I'm not! Here. You don't believe me, you keep the remote on your side." He clicked off the TV, then handed the remote to Hope.

Hope gave him a suspicious look, but grabbed the remote. She put it on the bed stand next to her. "If you try to grab it, I'll feel it," she said.

Aiden smirked. "Funny, that's what I said to you last night!" he joked.

"Too tired for jokes," Hope murmured.

Aiden gently stroked some hair away from her forehead and kissed the top of her head. They then went back to sleep with Hope in his arms.

A minute later, the TV came back on, and it seemed the volume even turned up a bit.

Hope and Aiden both woke up with a start.

"See? My arms were around you the whole time. It wasn't me!" Aiden insisted.

They both sat up and looked at the TV. Their faces went pale and their hearts thudded in their chests when they saw what was on. It was a crime show, talking about a crime that had taken place in 1973.

 _"This story happened in 1973 in Salem, Illinois at The Salem Inn."_

Hope and Aiden looked at each other in shock, then back at the screen.

The show panned to a happy husband and wife. The husband was carrying her over the threshold.

 _"I'm so happy to finally be married to you!" the woman said._

 _The man grinned. "Likewise, my love." They arrived at Room 203._

Again, Hope and Aiden looked at each other.

"That's our room," Hope said.

They looked back at the screen.

The narrator was speaking again.

 _James and Madison Becker were freshly married…._

Yet again, Hope and Aiden looked at each other.

"Isn't that what that woman who visited tonight said her name was?"

Hope nodded. "Yeah, it is! I wonder if this is her!"

They both watched the program again. Pictures of the real-life couple came up on screen.

"That is her!" Aiden said as he and Hope looked at each other with excitement.

"This must be the story of how her husband died. She never told us it was on a crimes show!" Hope said.

They turned their attention back to the show and the next line the narrator said, made the smiles wipe right off their faces, and the chills run from the roots of their hair, to the tips of their toes, into their bones.

 _"Little did this happy newlywed couple know the night that was supposed to be the happiest night of their lives, would also be the last night of their lives."_

Hope and Aiden looked at each other, their faces drained of all color.

"The end of their lives as in plural?" Aiden asked. "Madison's life too?"

Hope gulped. "Then how was she here tonight?"

They both looked back at the television, suddenly feeling very faint, and a whole lot scared.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Fear**_

 _ **Part 3:**_

"Claire!" Theo whispered. "Claire!"

"Theo! In here!" Claire said. She was hiding in Chase's bedroom.

Theo opened the door and locked it behind them.

"We're going to have to jump out the window," Theo warned her. He opened the window as wide as it would open, and took out the screen.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Claire asked. "We're like fifteen feet up!"

"It's not too bad." Theo looked out the window. Part of the roof from the bottom floor is right outside Chase's window. If we jump from there, it won't be that bad."

"It's still dangerous!" Claire said, looking out the window with Theo.

Theo shook his head. "It's either that or let Ciara kill us. You saw the way her eyes glowed green. She clearly has a demon in her! We'll be dead by sunrise if we put our lives in her hands!"

"We need to call for help," Claire said.

"Who are we going to call? A priest?" Theo asked.

"Why not? Isn't that what we need?" Claire said.

Suddenly, the door flung open, and there stood Ciara, looking as cold and out for blood as ever before. "You should know you can't hide from a demon," she said in a deep demonic voice.

Theo and Claire both screamed.

Claire panicked and ran to the window. She climbed onto the bottom floor roof then jumped, screaming the whole way down.

"Claire!" Theo ran to the window and looked down. Thankfully, Claire didn't seem to be hurt.

"I'm okay. Theo get out of there!" Claire slowly rolled over and stood up.

Theo tried to get out, but Ciara made the window slam down and lock. Theo barely got his hands out of the way in time.

Theo looked beside him. A bottle of Chase's cologne was on Chase's desk. He thought fast and grabbed the cologne. He then sprayed Ciara in the eyes and threw the bottle at her.

Ciara screamed in pain and grabbed her eyes.

Theo then quickly ran out the still open bedroom door and back down the stairs, trying to think of any place that would be safe.

 _ **~Fear~**_

 _James and Madison Becker thought they had it all. They had their good looks, great paying jobs, and now they had each other for the rest of their lives…_

Hope and Aiden watched the show as the life of James and Madison pre-meeting each other was displayed on screen. James' wife had died of cancer a few years earlier, and Madison had been in a marriage with a very jealous, very physically abusive man. She had finally gotten the courage to leave her ex and file for divorce. She then moved from Jacksonville, Florida to Salem, Illinois. It was there that she met James Becker at a single's bar. The two fell in love, and two years later, decided to marry.

Now, here they were, happy in love on their wedding night, spending the night at a hotel before departing for their honeymoon in Paris the next day. The problem was, they wouldn't be making it to Paris.

Hope and Aiden couldn't stop watching. Oddly enough, there weren't even any commercials.

 _As James and Madison Becker were sharing their love for each other under the sheets, they heard a loud pounding on the door._

 _Madison asked who was there, but the only answer was a louder pounding on the door._

 _James called out, confronting the knocker to either reveal himself or leave or security would be called. It was then that the intruder revealed himself. He broke down the door. Madison screamed as she realized it was none other than her ex-husband, who was out for revenge._

" _You had no right to leave me, Madison. I am your husband!"_

" _Ex-husband! You abused me. Frank, do you know how many broken bones and bruises I had to suffer because of you?" Madison shouted at him._

" _You acted up! It's not_ my _fault you made me have to punish you!" Frank yelled._

 _James sat up straight. "Frank, get out of here! She's not your wife anymore; she's mine! You were nothing but a nightmare for her! It's time for you to go!"_

 _Frank whipped around and looked at James. "I think you've got that backwards, Buddy. You took my wife from me. Now it's time for_ you _to go." Without warning, Frank whipped out a gun and shot James in the heart._

 _Madison screamed._

 _James' eyes widened in surprise. He choked as his lungs filed with blood. He turned to Madison. "Madison, I… I love you." Then he was gone._

" _James!" Madison sobbed. She then turned to Frank. "I hate you! You just killed the love of my life! I will never be with you! Never! I'd rather die."_

 _Frank shrugged. "That can be arranged. I'm sick of trying to keep you in line anyway."_

 _Madison's eyes grew wide with panic. "Frank, no, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! No… Don't shoot!" She tried to run, but Frank shot her dead too. He then quickly ran out of the room, but the hotel security was were there and stopped him. Frank couldn't bear the thought of rotting away in jail, so instead, He put a gun to his temple and pulled the trigger; instantly killing himself._

Frank thumped to the ground; dead.

Then, just as it had gone on by itself, the television shut off by itself.

Hope and Aiden looked at each other with fear in their eyes.

"That was very similar to my dream," Aiden said in a whisper.

Suddenly, the lights began to flicker again, and they heard Madison's voice shouting, "Get out!"

Hope's eyes got wide. "Aiden," she said calmly, "I think it's time we got out of here and went home."

"Funny you should say that, Hope, cuz I was thinking the same thing," Aiden replied.

"You call and check out. I'll pack up our things," Hope said jumping out of bed.

Aiden nodded, and they both quickly got to work.

 _ **~Fear~**_

Claire knew she had to call Rochelle. She knew that Rochelle worked with spirits. She always had been a little scared of Rochelle, but she knew she had no choice. Anyway, she would take Rochelle over demon Ciara and time, day, and place!

She dialed Rochelle's number after looking her up on 411.

"Who is this?" Rochelle answered, sounding annoyed.

"It's Claire; from school. Look, we need your help. Ciara's possessed. She tried to poison us with bleach and antifreeze. She is currently chasing Theo around the house. I only got out because I jumped out the window. She blocked all the doorway exists. She admitted she is trying to kill us and her eyes glowed green! I'm only calling you because I know you work with spirits and might be able to help rid her of the demon."

Rochelle sighed. "Great! Just great. Just what I need on Halloween. I knew I shouldn't have used the Ouija board with her! She's far too inexperienced!"

"Ouija board?" Claire asked; confused. When did you—"

Rochelle interrupted her. "I'll be right over."

Claire was confused. "But—"

The phone beeped indicating that Rochelle had already hung up.

Claire hung up too, then tried to see if she could see Theo through any of the windows.

Theo meanwhile was trying to get out the front door again.

"There's no use in trying to escape, Theo. You cheated on me and now you have to pay the price!" Ciara said, appearing behind him.

Theo jumped and screamed. "I'm sorry! You were right. Claire is stupid. I never should have left her for you. You're so much better than she is!"

"Too little too late! I'm not stupid, Theo. I know you're just telling me what you think I want to hear so that I'll save your life. Well, guess again!" Ciara made the coffee table float.

Theo's eyes got big as he realized what she was going to do. "Ciara… Don't do it. Ciara, no. Ciara!" He ducked out of the way just in time as she hurled the coffee table at him. Instead, of hitting him, it hit the door, causing a hole through the door.

Theo swallowed hard. Demonic strength way outweighed human strength. Had that table have hit him, he'd have been toast for sure. Thinking quickly, he dashed out the hole.

"Get back here!" Ciara screamed.

"Theo!" Claire was relieved to see her boyfriend escape.

Theo grabbed Claire's hand. "Let's go!" he said.

They both ran as fast as they could down the street, and screamed when they bumped into someone.

"Relax! It's only me. I've got this." It was Rochelle.

Claire and Theo only partially relaxed as they watched Rochelle stand in front of Ciara's house.

Ciara was just climbing out of the hole in the door, her eyes filled with nothing but complete and total evil.

Rochelle held out a cross. "Stay back, Demon!"

Ciara instantly pushed herself against the house, and hissed. "You put that down!" she said in a deep, demonic voice.

Rochelle shook her head. "Evil is not allowed in this house." She then took out a Holy water sprinkler like a priest would use. "I banish you spirit. Be gone from this house! This is a Christian house filled with people who love The Lord. I forever vanquish you from this house, the people in it, and also from their loved ones. Now be gone!"

"Trick-or-treat?" A little boy who looked to be no more than five asked as he came up to Claire and Theo, dressed as a dragon, holding his little pumpkin basket out to them.

"Sweetie, please, go next door. The lady there will give you extra candy. It's not safe here right now," Claire said to him.

But the boy didn't listen. He stayed and watched as Rochelle got closer and closer to Ciara.

Ciara screamed as Rochelle now took out a bottle of more Holy Water and squirted her with it.

Demon Ciara screamed. Her eyes glowed so green that they lit up the whole front yard with a green tint.

"Be gone, Demon be gone!" Rochelle then began to sing "Amazing Grace."

Theo and Claire soon joined in when they saw Ciara thrashing and heard her screaming, her hands covering ears.

They sang louder and louder until finally, there was an explosion of green light.

Then, the screaming stopped, and all was quiet and calm again.

"Cool!" the little boy said.

"Bryan! There you are! You had me worried sick! What did mommy tell you about running off?" A blonde woman said, picking up her son. "Sorry about that," she said to Theo and Claire before walking him over to the next house, still gently scolding him.

Ciara fell to the ground with a loud thump. She then sat up a moment later, looking confused with her hand to her forehead. "Where am I?" she asked.

"Ciara!" Claire said. She ran over to her aunt with Theo right behind her.

"Claire? I'm still mad at you, you know," Ciara grumbled.

Claire nodded. "I know, and you have every right to be. We just had so much in common, and you didn't seem interested in Theo anymore. I still should have talked to you about my feelings for Theo, and I'm sorry that I didn't and for cheating."

Theo nodded. "I'm also sorry. I'm so sorry I called you a bitch, and I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about how I was feeling. I felt like you didn't even like me anymore, let alone love me. Claire was there and she was nice to me, and…"

Ciara cut him off. "You know what? I'm sorry too. You're right. I wasn't very nice to you. I guess I didn't want to be in the relationship anymore either. I was just angry you went behind my back before we even had a chance to break up."

"It was wrong of me," Theo said.

"Of both of us," Claire agreed with a nod. "Forgive me?"

"And me?" Theo asked.

Ciara looked at them, then sighed. She smiled. "All right. But from now on, you come to me if you have a problem with me, all right?"

Claire and Theo both nodded.

"Deal!" Claire said.

"Deal!" Theo agreed.

"Come here!" Ciara said, holding out her arms. "I know my dad would want me to forgive you guys anyway."

"And you didn't even need a Ouija board to tell you that!" Rochelle said, her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her face.

Ciara looked up at her. "Rochelle. What are you doing here? I thought you had other plans." Her eyes fell up the door. "And what the hell happened to the door? Mom's gonna be so pissed!"

Claire and Theo both laughed.

"Well she's definitely back to herself again!" Theo said.

Claire and Theo helped her up.

"It's a long story. Come on in and we'll tell you all about it," Claire said to her.

"The last thing I remember is playing on the Ouija board with Rochelle," Claire said.

"I'm going to let you guys handle this. Peace out!" Rochelle turned to leave.

"Hey. Thanks for saving the night and bringing my aunt back to us!" Claire called out to her as she left.

Rochelle, back still turned as she continued to walk, held up a peace sign in response.

"That is one cool chick," Theo said as he watched Rochelle leave.

"I know, right?" Claire asked, watching her leave as well.

Ciara cleared her throat. "Hello? You were going to tell me what happened?"

Claire and Theo turned their attention back to her and each took an arm, leading her back into the house.

"Well, it all started when you came over to apologize…" Claire began.

 _ **~Fear~**_

Hope and Aiden drove home as fast as they could.

"I'm not going to feel safe until we're back in our own bed!" Hope said as Aiden drove them back home.

Aiden nodded. "You know, until tonight, if you had told me I would one day believe in ghosts, I would have said you were crazy."

Hope nodded. "Same here."  
"At least Madison didn't seem to be a vicious ghost," Aiden said.

Hope shook her head. "Even so, a ghost is a ghost, and I hope we never see one again. Well, I wouldn't mind seeing Gran, Bo, or Zack, but it would still be a bit scary."

Aiden shook his head. "I don't think I'd even want to see any of my passed on loved ones. I'll wait till I get to Heaven, Thank you!"

"Do you think Meredith is in Heaven?" Hope asked.

Aiden sighed. "I don't know. I hope so for Chase's sake."

Hope smirked. "I believe all animals go to Heaven. Just think, one day you can spend all eternity with Meredith the cat!"

Aiden shuddered. "Now that's even scarier than the prospect of seeing another ghost!"

Hope laughed.

 _ **~Fear~**_

"It's safe to come out now, my Darling," Madison said as she lay down on the bed in her and her husband's room at The Salem Inn. "They checked out early, and it's late. We have the rest of the night to ourselves."

James came out of the bathroom and laid down onto the bed with his wife. "They seemed like such a lovely couple. I do hate that we had to scare them."

Madison smirked. "You're too kind. We're ghosts now. Scaring mortals is one of the best parts of becoming a ghost! Learn to live a little!"

"I'd rather spend our remaining time on Halloween to enjoy our wedding night. Another benefit to being dead is that we can relive our wedding night over and over and change the ending to any way we'd like it to be. There's no one to interrupt us this time, and no one to shoot us dead," James replied.

Madison smiled, and took her husband's face between her hands. "True. And we can make contact when we touch each other. We can't do that to humans."

"So, I guess me finding a hot human mistress is out of the question then, huh?" James teased.

Madison gasped and gently swatted his chest. "Just shut up and help me enjoy our wedding night."

James grinned. "Now that, I can do!" He snapped his fingers and the lights flickered off. Then, he and his new bride went back to enjoying their 43rd wedding anniversary as ghosts.

 _ **~Fear~**_

"I can't believe I was possessed by a demonic spirit and tried to kill you! Trippy!" Ciara sighed. "It's safe to say that I am forever done with Ouija boards. I'll stick to talking to my Dad through prayer."

Just then, Hope and Aiden came home.

"What the heck did you guys do to the door?" Hope asked.

"It's a long story," Ciara said.

"Tell me!" Hope ordered, her arms crossed over her chest, an eyebrow raised, and her left foot tapping.

Ciara sighed. "All right, but I'm warning you, you're not going to believe me."

"After what happened tonight, try me," Hope said.

Ciara, Claire, and Theo all told her what happened then.

"Well, I trust Theo and Claire not to lie to me, and I know you wouldn't even lie about something like this," Hope said to her. "I can't believe my baby was possessed by a demon. I mean, I believe it but… I'm just so glad you're all all right." Hoped held her daughter close, and then brought Claire and Theo into the hug.

"You said something happened to you tonight. What was it?" Claire asked.

Hope and Aiden then told the story of what had happened to them that night.

Ciara, Claire, and Theo all shivered.

"Creepy!" Claire said.

"Tell me about it!" Aiden replied.

"Well, we'll have to board up this door before bed," Hope said. "We can all do it together, and be done quicker."

"Theo, do you want to come down with me to the basement to help me carry the supplies?" Aiden asked.

Theo looked a little scared.

Ciara rolled her eyes. "Claire and I will go down with you to protect you."

Theo smiled. "Okay."

"Don't be long," Hope said to Aiden.

Aiden pulled her close. "I won't be."

They kissed, then Aiden went down to the basement with the teens.

Hope shivered. The room temperature in the house was only fifty degrees, so she turned it up to seventy-two.

She felt a little creeped out upstairs all alone. She suddenly got a feeling someone was watching her, even though the only one staring at her was Meredith. She shivered again, then promptly headed down to the basement to help Aiden and the kids—whether they needed her help or not!

 _ **~Fear~**_

Meanwhile, a five-year-old boy had strayed from his mother for the second time that night.

As he headed down the street with a pumpkin basket full of candy in his little hand, he smiled, and his eyes glowed green as he sucked on a lollipop.

 _ **~*The End*~**_

 _ **Happy Halloween ;)**_


End file.
